24 Facts About Composting toilets

Composting toilets toilet is a type of dry toilet that treats human waste by a biological process called composting.

Composting toilets is carried out by microorganisms under controlled aerobic conditions.

Some composting toilets have urine diversion systems in the toilet bowl to collect the urine separately and control excess moisture.

Composting toilets do not require a connection to septic tanks or sewer systems unlike flush toilets.

Composting toilets can be used to implement an ecological sanitation approach for resource recovery, and some people call their composting toilet designs "ecosan toilets" for that reason.

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Composting toilets have been called "sawdust toilets", which can be appropriate if the amount of aerobic composting taking place in the toilet's container is very limited.

Composting toilets can be suitable in areas such as a rural area or a park that lacks a suitable water supply, sewers and sewage treatment.

Composting toilets can reduce or perhaps eliminate the need for a septic tank system to reduce environmental footprint .

Many composting toilets collect urine in the same chamber as feces, thus they do not divert urine.

Some composting toilets divert urine to prevent the creation of anaerobic conditions that can result from over saturation of the compost, which leads to odors and vector problems.

Composting toilets greatly reduce human waste volumes through psychrophilic, thermophilic or mesophilic composting.

Pathogen destruction rates in composting toilets are usually low, particularly helminth eggs, such as Ascaris eggs.

Composting toilets convert feces into a dry, odorless material which is very different to the wet fecal sludge produced in pit latrines which has to be taken care of through a fecal sludge management system.

Composting toilets do not cause groundwater pollution due to their safe containment of feces in above-ground vaults compared to pit latrines, allowing composting toilets to be sited in locations where pit-based systems are not appropriate.

Composting toilets have higher capital costs than pit latrines, but lower lifecycle costs.

Unlike flush toilets, composting toilets do not require a sewerage system and do not mix flushing water with urine and feces.

Operators of composting toilets commonly add a small amount of absorbent carbon material after each use to create air pockets to encourage aerobic processing, to absorb liquid and to create an odor barrier.

Material from composting toilets is a humus-like material, which can be suitable as a soil amendment for agriculture.

Compost from residential composting toilets can be used in domestic gardens, and this is the main such use.

Compost from composting toilets has a higher nutrient availability than the dried feces that result from a urine-diverting dry toilet.

Compost derived from these Composting toilets has in principle the same uses as compost derived from other organic waste products, such as sewage sludge or municipal organic waste.

Regulations governing the use of compost and urine from composting toilets is less clear in Germany but it seems generally allowed provided it is used on one's own property and not sold to third parties.

Composting toilets have been successfully installed in houses with up to four floors.

Slow composting toilets have been installed by the Green Mountain Club in Vermont's woodlands.